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Does my mechanic to need to flush / redo transmission fluid?
Hi I recently had the atf on my 2011 c200 changed at a local "Euro Car Specialist" shop. Was given to me recently with less than 10k km on it, no clue when the atf was ever changed, so I had it done along with the regular maintenance service. Based on what I've read in this group and official MB posts, transmission numbers over 2834527 and those that have the A89 REDUCED-FRICTION code signify that the transmission is a 722.9 "Plus" model. My car meets both these when I checked the VIN online.
This leads me to believe that my car should be running 236.15 spec blue fluid, but I found out that they've put in the 236.14 red fluid (they used genuine MB branded fluid). I've shown the official documentation (https://operatingfluids.mercedes-benz.com/sheet/231.1), but they argue that
Based on their part supplier and catalog, what they put is compatible
This is what they've done for other models like mine as well.
It matches the color of what came out when they did the fluid change
Is the 236.14 atf really compatible with the 722.9 "Plus" transmission, and is there any documentation of this? Or should I continue to insist that they redo it - at their own expense?
A89 with + should run blue fluid. We have run the blue one (which is a thinner viscosity) in red transmissions before, there has been no issue. You may experience mild fuel efficiency reduction and slower shifts with red fluid, however it also may be better long term due to the thicker viscosity.
Either way, you'll have armchair experts arguing on either side. There shouldn't be any longer term affects if it was filled appropriately. If you do change in the future, ensure the torque converter/transfer case/etc. are drained as well, otherwise if you choose the different oil and do not fully drain, they will mix. That can cause issues.
The original post doesn’t make much sense.
-First time post with well researched information;
-Problem that has been solved repeatedly in the forum;
-People with knowledge of proper parts and practices claiming that their sources disagree;
-14 year old car with 6200 total miles received as a gift;
-No replies after 12 hours from original poster.
Has a troll swung in from the trees with a string of non sequiturs to see how much action he could get?
Hi, many thanks. I think this is the documentation I needed. To clarify, I know that there are specific instructions that .15 blue shouldn't go into the non-plus transmissions because of viscosity and all, but I've read anecdotes on this forum and other places saying that the .14 red was compatible with the 722.9 plus transmissions and that the only difference would be service intervals. Was just trying to pull some official documentation, specifically saying "only blue goes into 722.9 plus" to prove my point and force them to drain/flush it. Didn't mean to bring up an old topic, but honestly, they were being really stubborn about it being compatible, so yeah. Thanks for linking this. Hope this settles the argument with them.
Also, proof the mileage , the exterior is in pretty great condition since it was just stored in a garage and barely used, but the rest wasn't really looked after, so I'm having a bunch of problems with it.
You’re real!
My greatest apologies for the distrusting remark.
That mileage sounds very, very unusual. Like the original 1950s kids toys found unused in their original packaging. Worth a small fortune as your near new W204 may be.
You have found the official manufacturer’s documentation. Your shop should have honored that. The one notable issue is that they said red fluid came out. Last check would be to find the ID tag on the transmission itself and check the actual manufacture date on the transmission, not the build date of the car.
No worries! Thank you for the advice will check on this as well. As far as I know, it was only serviced by the dealership service before being stored, so not sure why the color would be like that. Could only assume that the color had changed after sitting for over 10 years, or the dealership placed red as well? Either way just want the correct one to be placed in now. I have all the documents, so it should be undisputable.
2015 SL400 (M276 Turbo), 2014 C350 Sport (M276 NA), 2004 SL500 (M113), 2004 Audi TT225 (BEA)
Checking the production date could also help. A 2011 model year could have been manufactured in mid-2010. But if the datacard says A89, then you want to use ONLY the 236.15 blue fluid. As the shop if they will replace the transmission if yours develops problems during the next 39,000 miles (the change interval for 236.14).
Not sure what you paid them to do the job, or how you paid them, but I would contest the charge if on a credit card. While the tranny was well within the mileage interval, it was outside the time interval, so changing the fluid was prudent. I don't buy "it came out red" if I didn't see it myself. Maybe it's time to find another shop.
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Does my mechanic to need to flush / redo transmission fluid?
, the exterior is in pretty great condition since it was just stored in a garage and barely used, but the rest wasn't really looked after, so I'm having a bunch of problems with it.
